1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in methods of drying imprinted stock or material, particularly textile material, and the apparatus for carrying out such printing methods. The invention is particularly concerned with providing a novel continuous dryer for drying textiles and other stocks or materials printed with solvent-based or water-based or plastisol printing inks, and particularly inks applied by screen printing.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Textile materials, particularly tee shirts and the like, are commonly printed by screen printing or other printing techniques. These printing methods utilize solvent-based inks and water-based inks which require evaporation of the solvent or water portion of the ink prior to the final curing of the ink imprint to provide washability.
Dryers which are commercially available for drying screen printed textile materials usually have a continuously operating conveyor which moves imprinted materials through a heated chamber where the ink imprint or design is dried. Dryers for screen printed stock usually had radiant heating panels for evaporating the solvents and providing the heat required to effect a final cure of the imprinted ink or design.
A serious problem had existed in the curing of imprinted textiles in that the use of radiant panels in the drying operation has been ineffective as a high speed drying and curing process since the application of sufficient radiant heat to dry and cure the printing ink almost always results in a tendency toward scorching the textile fabric if precise control of the time-temperature relationship is not maintained. Further, attempts to dry and cure with heated air alone have failed due to difficulty and costs associated with systems that attempt to raise air temperatures high enough to effect both the drying of solvent and the final cure of the imprinted ink. Such systems have required longer equipment and are substantially more expensive. There has therefore been a vital need for a high speed continuous dryer for printed textiles which will dry and cure the ink imprint or design quickly on the textile material without scorching it.